Following a “heartbreaking” submission loss to middleweight champion Anderson Silva this past Saturday at UFC 117, Sonnen said he has no regrets about his trash-talk leading into to the fight.

“I don’t apologize for anything,” Sonnen told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I’m not backing off my stance, and if I ever did, I would send myself a pink slip and move on in life.”

Sonnen’s defiance came on the heels of his tap-out to Silva in the fifth and final round of UFC 117’s main event, which took place this past Saturday and drew a reported 12,971 fans to Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.

The contender stayed true to form at the post-fight presser while mixing earnest reflection with the brash statements that have made him a polarizing figure among MMA fans.

“I’m not ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter,’ and I don’t issue apologies, and you’re not going to be the first one to get one out of me,” he added.

Sonnen drew intense backlash this past week when he shifted the target of his insults from the MMA industry to the mainstream sporting world, namely by calling out Lance Armstrong. In a podcast interview, he said the cycling champion gave himself cancer by using steroids. But while on “The Jim Rome Show,” he denied ever giving the interview.

While the barb would send most athletes and public-relations people ducking for cover, Sonnen said he won’t ever hold his tongue when he has the microphone.

“When I go off, it’s like a bomb, and anybody around me is going to get dirty,” he said. “That’s the way that it goes. I don’t offer any apology for any of that stuff, and these guys need to get thicker skin.

“Second off, everybody in the UFC should issue an apology except me. If you stick a microphone in a guy’s face and he calls out anybody but the champion, Joe Silva should fax him a pink slip right then.”

The West Linn, Ore. native often made a show of shouldering the burden of fight promotion and chastised the champion for not doing his part.

In the process, many critics and fans have said Sonnen did too much. But one very important observer, UFC president Dana White, said he isn’t angry over any of the comments. Fighting is the main attraction – not cutting a good promo. Sonnen did both.

“He says some crazy [expletive],” White said after the fight. “He’s a little nutty, but listen, he’s a great fighter. He goes after you, and I respect that.

“Like I said before when everyone was asking me about what he was saying, who gives a [expletive] what he was saying? That’s not what people pay for. What happened tonight is what people pay for. It’s why people stay home on a Saturday night and lay down their 45 bucks. What happened tonight is what’s supposed to happen when you stay home and watch a fight.”

And the fight was nothing short of spectacular. Sonnen dominated the champion like never before for four-and-a-half rounds before Silva pulled a rabbit out of his hat and locked up a triangle choke with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. It was a shoo-in for “Fight of the Night” honors, and both champion and challenger took home an additional $60,000 in bonus money.

White said the event could also be a smash hit on pay-per-view if early estimates are correct.

“When I’ve felt guys have crossed the line, I’ve come out and said it,” he said. “Was the stuff he said kind of nutty? Yeah. There was some nutty stuff in there. The hard part with him and listening to this – and this started, for me before the Anderson Silva fight – he was saying nutty stuff his last two fights. But like I said, I think this guy 100 percent believes it. He’s one of those guys.

“I quoted Roger Mayweather, who said he didn’t think (boxer) Vinny Pazienza was that great of a fighter. But what’s scary about him is that Vinny Pazienza really believed he was that good of a fighter. That’s the way Chael Sonnen is. He told you tonight, and it’s true, he doesn’t stop. He’ll keep coming forward.”

Sonnen (25-11-1 MMA, 4-4 UFC) conceded the better man won this past Saturday, and he bears no ill will toward the champion. But if Silva (27-4 MMA, 12-0 UFC) is in his crosshairs again, you can kiss that nice guy goodbye.

“I’m never going to change,” Sonnen said. “I’m going to go after No. 1, whoever it is, if it’s Anderson or I’ve got to go up after the guys at 205 (pounds) or go on a diet and go after (WEC 145-pound champion) Jose Aldo. It doesn’t matter.

“If you’ve got the belt, I’m coming after you.”

For more on UFC 117, including the night’s official results, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

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